There is no band that I have followed as hard or as long as the Beastie Boys…I was just in 7th grade when Licensed to Ill was released and my love affair with the boys began…Licensed epitomized everything that was cool for a teenage boy…and although their image changed from hip-hop’s bad boys to music innovators with Paul’s Boutique, I was willing and ready to change with them…Paul’s Boutique is in my opinion one of the greatest albums of my lifetime…it is perfect…I have played that cd so many times that I wore out my first copy and have moved on to my second…but the Boy’s didn’t stop there…they came back with Check Your Head and showed the world they also had an alternative side…although years tend to pass between B-boy releases, the trio have never disappointed…I have had the pleasure of seeing the three in concert on three separate occasions, each more kick ass then the next…No matter what my taste in the music is at any given moment, I can always go back to the Beastie Boys and find satisfaction…that’s why they sit tops upon this list.

I stumbled upon the Dave Matthews Band during my college years…an important time for anyone who loves music…and it was then that I took in my first DMB show…in 1997 in Hartford…since that time I have seen 13 Dave shows...not because I enjoy the drinking and partying like so many in CT....no, I go because of the music…and that is where I find Dave and the boys to be most satisfying…in their live work….I own every CD the band has produced, but I can say the ones that most often find there way into my CD player are the live discs…the bands unique sound translates so much more live an in color…songs like #41, Warehouse, Watchtower, Everyday, and Tripping Billies among others are a whole different experience in concert…a different kind of rock sound that can only be produced with a lead guitar, bass, fiddle, sax, drums and keyboard if you will…Matthews and the boys have mastered the art of the summer tour and consistently pack amphitheatres and stadiums alike, filling them with the sounds of new material, tried and true classics and the occasional cover…I love these guys, but its sad what their shows in Hartford have turned into…this was the first time in seven years I didn’t attend one of their concerts in CT and I won’t be going back…too many teens who don’t appreciate the music and just looking for a party…for now, I’ll get my fix by popping in Live at Red Rocks…

One of my favorite live bands for their quirky, fun loving style not only on stage but in their songs…A little known Canadian band when I first stumbled upon them at a free Earth Day concert in Hartford…I was quickly sold on such hits as Brian Wilson and The Old Apartment…but what really hooked me in was the way they could improvise on stage…just making songs up, riffing and playing off each other…and anyone who has ever seen a BNL show knows that the band’s musical medley at the end is a guaranteed highlight as well as their always changing rendition of If I Had a $1,000,000…but whether it’s a traditional ballad, a hip-rock anthem or just a silly song like One Week, the Barenaked Ladies have always been just right for whatever mood I’m in.

I missed out on the early success of U2 during the late 80’s…mostly because I was either listening to the Beastie Boys or being wrapped up in the hair metal scene I guess…but luckily I came around once I got to college and stumbled upon a disc entitled Achtung Baby…well, I guess the rest is history because I have been a fan ever since…with the exception of their quick experiment with techno music, U2 has been one of the strongest and most influential bands of our time…their music continues to transcend and make statements…sometimes politically….but most of all, they make damn good music…the Joshua Tree may be one of the top albums of all-time and their last effort All That You Can’t Leave Behind re-introduced the Irish foursome to a whole new audience…I got the chance to see the group on tour for that album and will say it may have been the greatest rock show I have ever seen.

Maybe it’s my age…maybe it’s the fact that I would much prefer to kick back with a bottle of beer and just relax rather than fight the bar scene…or maybe it’s just that Jimmy and the Coral Reefers have been teaching us how chill out on a hot summer day for well over 30 years that has me a loyal Parrothead for the rest of my days…hey, everyone knows the big hits….Margaritaville, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Fins, Volcano, etc…but it’s the man’s collective works that impress…Son of Sailor, A Pirate Looks at 40, Come Monday, Fruitcakes, Tin Cup Chalice, Last Mango in Paris, One Particular Harbor…nothing spells summer time at the beach with a cold Corona than Jimmy Buffet.

The band that led us into the age of grunge alternative rock in the early 90s…Pearl Jam and their debut album Ten busted out on the scene and all but crushed the cheesy, hair metal craze in one felt swoop…Thank God!...but I digress…Ten was a superb album for a relative unknown band at the time…and they proved their worth by following it with their sophomore effort, Vs., my favorite PJ album…although the band has ducked out of the media’s eye over the last few years, they have never once stopped growing as a unit and putting out extremely strong material…but the thing I have always like best and respected more than anything about Pearl Jam, is their undying willingness to stick up for their fans…from taking Ticketmaster to task for their ridiculous ticket prices and policies to making every single one of their concerts available on cd for a very reasonable price…Pearl Jam has shown over and over again that they are as committed to their music and their following then any band out there…you gotta respect that….I saw them once in Hartford a few years back and it was an amazing show…it’s just too bad they will never come back…damn Hartford police…I own a few of those live CD’s, and can attest to their high quality and re-playability…and if you don’t believe me, I’m sure K-Billy can set you straight.

I am proud to say I saw this explosive band when they were just an opening act way back in the day…it was back in early 1993…I went to see a Cypress Hill and House of Pain show at a little dive in New Britain…there, opening, was a band called Rage Against the Machine…I think they played for maybe 30 minutes…maybe…but all I know is I heard a song called Killing in the Name Of and I walked out of that joint that night with their cd in hand…well needless to say, the next time I saw Rage, they were the one’s headlining and kicking everyone’s ass in the process…there are times I still find myself secretly praying that Zach will come to his senses and rejoin the group…I mean, Audioslave are pretty good, but I want my RAGE!!!...no band buffered the line between rock and rap better than Rage Against the Machine…with Zach’s lyrics and hard hitting style…Tom’s mind melting guitar playing, they blew me away…the Battle of Los Angeles was their best album in my opinion…and although Renegades got a bad rap, I totally dug it…and come on people, I dare you to find a song that say’s “stick it to the man” better than Killing in the Name of…despite their split, this band will always hold strong with me and warrant it’s spot on the top-10…their work will always find a home in my cd player as well.

My first Rob Zombie experience came just a few summers ago when K-Billy and I caught him on the main stage at Ozzfest…one of about a billion acts that day, I remember walking away thinking “I got to get to a music store now and buy his stuff”…well I did and I never regretted it…out of all the hardcore or metal bands around now, Zombie is the one that I will go back to time and time again…from his early work in the band White Zombie to he’s latest album, the greatest hits collection, all have been spinning in my player for months…I not only love his hard charging kick ass take no prisoners metal music…I love his weird off the beat persona, one obsessed with horror movies and monsters…and it comes out in the music…with such hits as Dragula, Living Dead Girl, I’m Your Boogieman…added to all this, Zombie and his material have spawned the movie and comic book House of a 1000 Corpses…and currently working on a new film, The Devil’s Rejects…Zombie is definitely branching out, but his music is still where it all starts for me.

Boy, has she come a long way from her days as a back up singer for Michael Jackson!...Sheryl Crow certainly worked her way to where she is today…spending much of her time as a back-up singer, Crow found a way to write songs and get her career kick-started in the mid-90s with the release of Tuesday Night Music Club…and with the hits Leaving Las Vegas and All I Wanna Do, Crow found her way to super stardom…Over the past 10 years or so, she has put together a very impressive catalog of songs and albums that continued to re-establish her place among the top songwriters and musicians of the time…Her last album, C’mon, C’mon is my favorite…she is my favorite female artist no only for her amazing talents…but also because she is one of the most beautiful and sexy women in the world….hands down!...no questions asked!...don’t care about age!...top-5…and you can laminate it!

Easily one of my favorite bands and they have only made one album…The D is comprised of my favorite actor Jack Black and counterpart Kyle Gass or KG…these two will rock your f***ing socks off…Period…Guarantee it…armed with just their guitars, the two rip their collected works with so much energy that you will bow down and praise the Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the World!!!!...now, I haven’t even mentioned their kick-ass videos or the fact that they are two extremely funny bastards…their self entitled debut is a constant listen for me a work, especially during a long day…Tribute is the greatest song in the world….and if you are or want to be a Tenacious D fan, the Complete Masterworks DVD is a must own…MUST OWN!...Long Live the D!